ISIS Kills British Aid Worker David Haines [Report]

David Cawthorne Haines/Facebook
ISIS claimed Saturday it had killed British aid worker David Haines, in similar fashion as two American journalists, in a new video message aimed directly at the government of the United Kingdom.

A married father of two, the 44-year-old Haines was in Syria for only three days before he was kidnapped, The Guardian reported. He had been held since last year, but his captivity was a closely guarded secret until he appeared at the end of a video release that showed the beheading of Steven Sotloff, an American freelance journalist.

ISIS released a video of Haines' purported death — apparently at the hands of the same English-speaking militant known as "Jihadi John" from two previous execution videos — which showed another British hostage at the end which would be next, the executioner said, "if you, [David] Cameron, persist in fighting the Islamic State."

The murder of David Haines is an act of pure evil. My heart goes out to his family who have shown extraordinary courage and fortitude. — David Cameron (@David_Cameron) September 13, 2014

We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes. — David Cameron (@David_Cameron) September 13, 2014

According to The Telegraph, Haines was believed to have been kidnapped by a gang who later sold him to ISIS.

Haines was working in Syria for the Paris-based ACTED, a humanitarian aid agency which he had worked with since 1999. He had previously helped conflict victims in the Balkans, Africa, and the Middle East.

"He's our life. He's a fantastic man and father," his wife Dragana Haines told The Guardian. "Nobody can understand how we are feeling. My daughter keeps asking about him every day."

After he was revealed in a previous video, ACTED released a statement saying, "ACTED strongly condemns the violence and threats against David. A man's life should never be threatened on account of his humanitarian commitment."

We've reached out to ACTED for comment and will update if we hear back.

The hostage shown at the end of the latest video was identified as British citizen Alan Henning, according to J.M. Berger.